00:00If I asked you to think of a green animal, you might think of a chameleon.
00:03Or if I asked you to think of a blue animal, you might say a butterfly or a macaw.
00:09So many animals around the world have adapted to grow different coloured feathers, fur and scales.
00:15Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why these animals have such radiant colours?
00:19What about the animals that are covered in all kinds of colours?
00:23Like coral reef fish, for example.
00:25Hundreds of species flashing yellows, purples, oranges and greens.
00:29With different patterns of stripes, spots and shapes.
00:40Today we're exploring some of the colourful coral reef fish here at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach,
00:45California.
00:46And we're going to have a chat to education specialist Luke and see if he can help us get to
00:50the bottom of our colourful question.
00:53Coral reef fish are so colourful because they live in a colourful environment.
00:57And if you live in a colourful place, you've got to figure out how to either stick out when you
01:00want to be seen or camouflage when you don't want to be seen.
01:03So if you're trying to attract a mate or trying to reproduce, you want to be visible and be seen
01:06by the other fish.
01:07If you want to camouflage, you want to hide from predators, you can go nestle into the red or blue
01:12or green coral and your red or blue or green colour will allow you to blend in.
01:17This is all starting to make sense now.
01:19Their colour allows them to camouflage into the colourful coral.
01:23And their colour helps them to find a mate.
01:25Hang on, does that mean that fish can see in colour?
01:28Do they see the coral reef the same way that we do?
01:32Fish can see in colour.
01:35Usually they can see maybe a different range of colours than we can.
01:38Some fish can see more colours than we can.
01:40But in order to be able to see all the different signals they're sending to each other with all the
01:43flashy, exciting colours they have,
01:45they do have to be able to see in colour.
01:48Well, there you have it.
01:49Turns out these jewels of the sea aren't just beautiful to look at.
01:52They're very well adapted to living that colourful, radiant coral reef lifestyle.
